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Have an Austin-centric spring break, kids

Have an Austin-centric spring break, kids

Explore UT. Saturday, head to the University of Texas for a giant open house with most of the activities happening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn about space science and watch a mobile planetarium show at the Jackson School of Geosciences from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March with the Longhorn Band at Frank Denius Practice Fields, head to the East Mall for the Children’s International Festival with hands-on activities and go on a campus scavenger hunt at 10 a.m. Free. Parking can be a challenge, so come early or consider public transportation. www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut.

“The Monster Who Ate My Peas.” The book written by Danny Schnitzlein and illustrated by Matthew Faulkner comes to the stage. Noon Saturday. $12 adults, $9 kids. One World Theatre, 7701 Bee Cave Road. www.oneworldtheatre.org.

“The Cat in the Hat.” Zach Theatre stages the beloved Dr. Seuss book for children ages 3 and older. A whirlwind of a cat descends upon Sally and her brother while their mother is away. See it in honor of Dr. Seuss, whose 110th birthday would be Sunday. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays through May 3. $16 parents, $14 youth. Kleberg Stage, 1421 W. Riverside Drive. zachtheatre.org.

“Hansel and Gretel.” Introduce children to ballet with this version of the candy-filled, witchy tale from Ballet Austin II. It’s recommended for ages 3 to 10. 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $15. Ballet Austin’s Austin Ventures Studio Theater, 501 W. Third St. www.balletaustin.org.

Free First Sundays at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. It’s free to get in noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. A TEXplorations family story time will be at 2 p.m. Plus, it’s Boy Scout Day, with special scout activities. Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress Ave. 512-936-4649, thestoryoftexas.com.

Literature Live! presents “Tiger Woman,” a puppet show from the book by Laurence Yep. It’s a traditional Chinese folktale about a greedy woman who will not share her food with a beggar. For children 5 and older. Free. 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The Contemporary Austin, 700 Congress Ave. thecontemporaryaustin.org.

Your kids might be envisioning a thrilling trip to Disney World, a ski resort or a beach house this spring break, but sometimes real excitement can be had by staying put and exploring your own backyard.

Annette Lucksinger offers up more than 100 ideas for Austin adventures in her new book, “Exploring Austin with Kids.” The book is divided into places and events, with indexes by ages and by interest. It will be available at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum and online at exploringaustinwithkids.com. She also has book-signings at the Bullock on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. and at Hill’s Cafe from 4 to 6 p.m.

Lucksinger, who teaches writing and literature at St. Edwards University, started the book when her now 8-year-old son Stone was 4 and refusing to go to preschool. He was a homebody, she decidedly was not, and so they compromised by finding daily adventures in Austin.

She went looking for such a guide book and couldn’t find one. Stone and daughter Emmi, 10, soon became the book’s researchers and began asking themselves, “Is this good for the book?” “They became good critics,” Lucksinger says.

One thing that surprised Lucksinger was how many places there are — too many for one book. She’s started a new list and already has 10 things on it that didn’t get into the book but will be good for the next one.

Here are some of Lucksinger’s favorites as well as some of mine. Keep in mind spring break is also South by Southwest, so the areas around downtown will be crowded.

Zilker Park. There’s so much to do. Walk the trails, rent a canoe, ride the Zilker Zephyr train, play on the playground and throw breadcrumbs at the ducks. Make a whole day of it and picnic in the park. Nearby is the Zilker Botanical Garden and Hartman Prehistoric Garden. Don’t forget the Austin Nature & Science Center, with its dinosaur dig, aviary and wildlife sanctuary, plus trails to explore.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. More things will be blooming by then. Often kids stop exploring once they get to the raised gardens and the Little House, but don’t forget the meadows, butterfly garden and the arboretum. The arboretum has all kinds of different tree swings to try out.

Go retro shopping for toys and candy. Head to West Second Street to Toy Joy for fun windup figures, then go to Big Top Candy Shop for candy and a soda, malt or shake at this old-fashioned store. You can finish your retro day with a trip to Kiddie Acres amusement park off Howard Lane. Ride jeeps, trains, boats and airplanes, plus a carousel and a Ferris wheel — and real ponies.

Spend a day at Rodeo Austin, but really see the rodeo. Skip the rides and carnival for the livestock shows, pig races, mutton bustin’ and bull riding.

Go spelunking. We have several caves to choose from in Central Texas. We’ve tried Inner Space Cavern, Longhorn Cavern, Natural Bridge Caverns and the Cave Without a Name. For beginners, start with Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown. For something spectacular and off-the-beaten path, go for the Cave Without a Name. For beauty and the nearby wildlife ranch, choose Natural Bridge. For a fun, historical tale, go for Longhorn Cavern.

Pitch a tent and go camping nearby. Between state and LCRA parks, you’ve got a lot to chose from, but if this is your first time, try McKinney Falls. It’s close enough to home that if you need to abandon ship for your own beds, you can. We’ve also loved Pedernales Falls and Inks Lake, also not far.

Take in a show and read a book. Zach Theatre has “The Cat in the Hat” on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Either before or after, you can head to BookPeople to explore some actual books. Saturday story time is at 11:30 a.m.

Go museum-hopping all week. Go on a tour of Texas history at the Texas Memorial Museum, with its taxidermy animals and fossils, and the Bullock Museum, with its artifacts from settlers to modern politicians. Then dip into art at the Blanton Museum of Art and the Contemporary Austin. Round out your week at the new Thinkery children’s museum, but don’t forget to buy your tickets online for the Thinkery and the IMAX at the Bullock to make sure you get to go when you want to go.

Eat your way through Austin. The food trailers close to downtown might be busy, but there are other spots away from downtown like the Midway Food Park off Loop 360 and Mueller Trailer Eats. This is also your chance to check out the local farmers markets on the weekdays.

Tour de playgrounds. If you’re always going to the same park, try something new. We’ve loved Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park and Dick Nichols District Park for a while now, but we South Austin folks could head north for Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park or Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. You might even get some young adventurers to go on a hike with you.